


Under Forts of Love and Comfort

by meloingly



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Caring TK Strand, Comfort, Cute Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Established Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Established Relationship, Good Significant Other TK Strand, M/M, Movie Night, Soft Carlos Reyes, Soft Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Supportive TK Strand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:00:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29464650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meloingly/pseuds/meloingly
Summary: When Carlos locks his car door and fixes his duffle bag over his shoulder, all of this concentration is focused on keeping his exhaustion hidden and getting inside the house without TK knowing. Unfortunately, that means that he is so zoned into where to step and how to talk, that he doesn’t notice the soft glow of lights until he opens the door and comes to a complete stop.When they finally pull back, it's to smiles and giggles. And as TK turns Carlos around again, holding him safe and secure around the waist and starting the movie, he can't help but wonder if they can have comfort dates more often - make it a regular occurrence.Day 3 of Tarlos Valentine 2021: “I told you this ages ago” + Love Languages + Favourite Kiss
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 6
Kudos: 155
Collections: Tarlos Valentine 2021





	Under Forts of Love and Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> TARLOS CORAZONADOS WEEKEND DAY 3: “I told you this ages ago” + Love Languages + Favourite Kiss
> 
> Now, yes, I am aware that I'm late. It's no longer the weekend. Unfortunately, real-life sucks sometimes and it doesn't allow you to write when you want to. And so, this is a day late.
> 
> [Lire-Casander](https://lire-casander.tumblr.com/) has, as usual, been like 97% of the reason I was able to ever get this done. She's a wonderful human being and I don't know how would I have ever done anything without her. 
> 
> I do not own any of the characters. I am writing this for fun.

When Carlos locks his car door and fixes his duffle bag over his shoulder, all of this concentration is focused on keeping his exhaustion hidden and getting inside the house without TK knowing. Unfortunately, that means that he is so zoned into where to step and how to speak, that he doesn’t notice the soft glow of lights until he opens the door and comes to a complete stop.

There is nothing normal about the living room. The dining room chairs are pushed up to the kitchen counter, freeing the entire space in the middle. The coffee table is moved from the centre to a side, next to the staircase railing. 

And then, right in the middle of the room, is the dining table, the sofa and a single chair all covered, forming a _blanket_ fort. 

He can immediately pick out the multiple throw blankets, they usually reside in their linen closet, but right now they’re laid on top of the furniture. He can tell that there’s a single high point in the centre, and he can only guess that it’s a chair, a stool or a pole of some sort; their dark grey and royal blue blankets laid inside to make the floor of the fort. 

And through it all, in the depth of the fort, he sees TK, propped up by blankets, peeking his head through the opening of the fort, illuminated by fairy lights that hang behind him, framing the edges of the fort.

He’s dressed in a tank top and running shorts. His hair is damp and ruffled, it looks like he’s showered and just rubbed a towel through his head. There’s a soft smile on his face and a glint he can only describe as a mix of fondness and mischief in his eyes. 

He doesn’t think he needs to guess that the mischief has to do with how torn the living room looks right now. 

A chuckle forces itself out of his chest before he gets a chance to stop it. He drops the duffle bag, letting it hit the floor. He toes out his shoes, kicking them in the general direction of the shoe cabinet, then crouches down until he’s at TK’s level. The wide grin that he’s immediately faced with washes through him like a soothing balm, TK’s the smile so giant his eyes become minuscule in comparison. 

“Hellooo,” he says, elongating the greeting. “Welcome to your weekend retreat!”

His eyebrows raise in question, and he finds himself smiling. He’s about to greet him back when TK twists to a side, pulling a box from one of the many crevices in the fort. 

“Here you go,” TK says as he pushes the box into Carlos’ arms. “Go shower, change, and come back. I’ll be waiting right here,” he says patting the empty space next to him.

Carlos looks at the box. He knows there are a few bottles in there; he can tell by the way one side is heavier than the other. His favourite shirt is folded on the very top, and there’s a corner of black fabric underneath it, but he can’t tell what it is. He looks back at TK, the love he feels for the man growing by the second. 

“Do I get to say hello first?”

TK’s eyes widen at that, before he bends forward, balancing on his knees and pursing his lips at Carlos, who meets him in the middle. It starts as a soft peck, just a ‘welcome home’, a type of kisses he didn’t think he could have before. The soft pecks whenever either one of them comes back home, the gentle caress of their lips on one another when they don’t have a reason to kiss, the sweet kitten licks he likes to lay on TK when he’s next to him.

It stays like that, soft and sweet, until it’s not. Until Carlos drops the box and holds onto the back of TK’s neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss. He responds immediately, lips parting to entwine their tongues, his hands sneaking underneath Carlos’ shirt, moving upwards to palm at his chest.

Carlos moans, dropping to his knees and letting TK pull him closer with an arm around the waist, until not only is half of his body inside the fort, but he’s also half on TK’s lap. He feels a soft dip underneath his legs, guessing that TK must have taken one of the guest room mattresses and laid it down as cushioning. With it, he also feels a hard imprint pressing on his thigh, and he feels the excitement start to bubble in the depth of his stomach. It reminds him of their first time together, the push and pull of their bodies on one another, as they gave and took, bending to each other’s will and demanding the same of the other person.

He’s about to lean more of his weight forward, to push TK on his back, when he breaks their contact, leaning back and holding Carlos in place with a hand on the front of his stomach, a single line of saliva connecting their lips.

“TK!” he whines, hands still wound around TK’s neck, pulling himself closer. He tries to kiss TK again, but he moves, making Carlos miss his face. He ends up detouring to the front of his throat. 

“No, no, Ca-Carlos, you need, you need to go.”

Carlos tries to take him seriously and listen, he really does. It’s just extremely hard to accomplish such a thing when TK is moaning and withering and stuttering underneath him. He hums in reply, thrusting his hips as he tries to hump on something, _anything_. He’s almost sure that TK is going to give up and lay down, let them get on with the program. Instead, TK pulls back, planting his hands on Carlos’ chest this time, making sure that he won’t be able to reattach his lips to any visible body parts.

He pouts, watching as TK closes his eyes for a moment to take a deep breath. When he opens them, they’re still wide-blown, the green of his irises almost hidden. Carlos trails his gaze lower, passing by the quickly darkening bruise on the side of TK’s neck, and the quick rise and fall of his chest. 

Carlos can read the lust that’s falling off TK in waves.

TK shakes his head, relaxing his arms a little and dragging his hands down Carlos’ front, giving his pecs a subtle squeeze. He rests them around his hips, bending forward to press his forehead to his chest.

Carlos bends his own head, kissing the top of TK’s head.

“I have something planned for you,” he mumbles, voice muffled by Carlos’ shirt. “So, as much as this pains me,” he pulls his face away, looking up at Carlos. “You need to go upstairs.”

Carlos huffs, pulling back to dramatically cover his eyes with his arm and loudly sigh in the corner of his elbow. He tries to keep the facade, but then he hears TK chuckle at him and he breaks, smiling as he straightens up and slides off TK.

“Okay, okay,” he says as he pulls his bag over his shoulder and holds the box in both arms. “Shower, you said?” TK nods, a smile on his face as lays back on the blankets. 

Racking a final glance over TK, stopping for a few moments at the kiss-bitten lips and the sliver of skin showing between his top and shorts, Carlos takes a deep breath and gets up to his feet, turning around and running up the stairs two at a time. He wants to be back with TK as soon as possible.

He opens the bedroom door and comes to a stop in front of the bed, dropping both the box and his bag. He pauses for a moment, torn between going through the box TK prepared for him and between going through his own gift for TK. He looks between both of them once, twice, and thrice. Eventually, he decides to check on his present and make sure it’s ready so that he’s free to enjoy TK’s.

He opens the duffle, praying that it wasn’t crumbled or crushed. He pulls it out, turning it around in his hand, re-aligning the paper and straightening the bow tied around the middle. Once he’s sure that it’s as presentable as when he first bought it, he lays it on the bed, satisfied that it wasn’t been ruined. He turns his attention to TK’s gift. 

The box is wrapped in blue wrapping paper - he knows it’s the one they bought months ago to wrap all the birthday gifts they give out to their friends and family - with small hearts drawn with a white marker. He runs his hand through the shirt he noticed in the very beginning. It’s a long-sleeved oversized shirt, incredibly soft and unbelievably cuddly. It’s what he usually wears when he’s having a bad day. And he’s been having a bad _two weeks_. Underneath the shirt is one of his black sweatpants, one of the fancy, woven wool ones. 

He picks both of them out, finding a pair of underwear and fuzzy socks next. On the opposite side of the box is a fluffy towel. He pats it down, feeling something in the middle. He grabs the towel, laying it on the bed and unraveling it to find another towel, and in the center of that; four travel size bottles with nothing but home-made labels. He opens each bottle, smelling it as he reads the labels; one is shower gel, one is shampoo, one is a conditioner and the last one is a lotion. 

He recognises the smells, and the brand of some almost instantly. The woodsy Oud of the shower gel is a luxury he doesn’t buy for himself much, and the sandalwood of the hair products is a brand he hardly finds nowadays. He isn’t sure what the lotion is exactly, but after pumping a bit from the bottle, he can tell that it’s his favourite kind of smell and his preferred texture of lotion.

A smile makes its way into his face just as tears start to cloud his vision.

He’s been bound to overtime and extra shifts for the past two weeks after a supposedly simple prisoner transfer turned into an active felony on the run. It had required multiple units and several hours to control the situation, and it still left five officers with different degrees of injuries and off-duty time.

He's glad that there were no lives lost that day - neither fellow colleagues nor prisoners - but it's been a heavy load for the remaining officers to carry, physically, emotionally and mentally. Worst of all, it didn't only affect the officers themselves, but also their families and partners at home.

So when he was finally approved for a weekend off, he immediately called TK and asked him to come over. He had missed the man. The minute smiles and nods during joint calls and late-night facetime calls didn't satisfy either one of them anymore.

Shaking his head, he takes a deep breath and lifts his hands to cover his eyes. Once he feels his emotions rear back, returning to their initial state of containment, he grabs the shower gel, shampoo and conditioner and walks to the en-suite bathroom.

He drops the bottles on the sink counter then opens the shower stall door to turn on the hot water, giving it a moment to warm up. He undresses quickly, pace increasing as steam starts gathering in the bathroom. After he throws his clothes into the hamper, he reaches into the shower, testing the water. He fiddles with the lever for the moment until he finds the desired temperature.

Grabbing the bottles off the sink, he opens the door and steps inside, putting the bottles down in the little shelf he has in the stall. And then he steps under the spray.

He closes his eyes and drops his head, letting the hot water fall down his hair and body, letting it take some of the stress and tension he's been feeling. The warm water feels heavenly, the jets hit at his tense muscles and the warmth calms his racing mind. 

After a few minutes, he decides that he might as well get to showering and finally reaches for the bottles. He tries to go through the process quickly, but the lather and the spice of the Oud forces him to slow down, the feeling of cleanliness from the shampoo has him scratching at his own scalp, and the softness that the conditioner leaves behind makes him curl his hair around his fingers. 

When he's done with the shower and he's just standing under the water for another few moments, he decides it's time to get moving. Closing the water, he grabs the towels, drying himself up with one and wrapping it around his hips, and then using the other one to dry his hair as he walks out of the shower.

His vision falls on the bed, the remains of the box contents… and his own gift to TK.

He barely resists the urge to smack himself on the forehead. He was so engrossed in the gifts he just received, and the thought TK put in each one, that he completely forgot about the very real possibility that TK could walk into the bedroom, and see what Carlos had bought right there.

He moves to the slightly open door and tries to listen to any noises around him, wondering if he'll be able to hear TK walking up or down the stairs. When he doesn't hear anything he turns back towards the bed and starts to put on the clothes from the box.

Getting dressed doesn't take time or concentration, and neither does applying the lotion. He's ready within minutes. He pulls the long sleeves over his hands and winds his arms around his chest, burying his nose into his shoulder and taking a deep whiff. He isn't sure what the laundry detergent that's been used on these clothes is, but it smells heavenly.

He turns back towards the bed, grabbing the bottles and putting them back into the box, and then grabs the whole box to deposit it on top of their dresser. He moves back to the bed, grabbing his own present, and then he's out of the door and making his way to finally join TK.

He tries to sneak down the last few steps, turning so that his hands are hidden behind his back and TK can't see them. He lands on the last step, moving to a crouch in front of the fort, repeating what he did earlier.

"Hi," he says, getting TK's attention, who's laid back scrolling on his phone.

TK's eyes snap to him, a smile immediately taking over his face. He drops his phone and sits up, moving a few feet to the front of the fort so he's in front of Carlos.

"Hi," he replies. "How was the shower?"

"Oh, it was okay, I've had better," he retaliates, huffing a laugh when TK pulls away with a gasp and a dramatic eye roll.

"Now, that's just a lie."

"I dunno, I'm a cop, I don't think I can lie."

TK huffs, shaking his head.

"That's basically saying that I can't start fires because I'm a firefighter, and we both know _that's_ a lie."

Carlos laughs, falling completely onto his knees. He is fully aware that TK starting fires is something that isn't only a possibility, but a reality that has happened multiple times. Whether it be forgetting that he started breakfast and that there's toast in the oven, or the numerous cakes that have been left a little too long - or completely forgotten - than they needed.

"Whatcha hiding?" TK asks in his sing-songy voice, his hands sneaking around Carlos' waist along his arms. Luckily, he catches on to what TK is trying to do in time and he brings one hand forward, holding onto TK's wrists. 

"Something. Let me into your humble abode and I'll show you."

TK hums, pretending to think about it, even though he's already moving back and to a side, until his back is resting onto the sofa and there's enough area next to him for Carlos to slip in.

He looks at the space ahead of him, trying to figure out how he's supposed to get inside without ruining his present or TK finding out what it is. 

"Close your eyes, baby," he tells TK, continuing when he lifts an eyebrow at him. "You'll see in a second, come on," he urges, smiling when TK rolls his eyes before he does scrunch his eyes closed and covers them with his hands.

Carlos extends his hand in front of him, trying to make sure that it doesn't get ruined. He turns around, giving the front of the tent his back and then sliding in on his butt. Once he's settled in, slotted next to TK, both of them touching shoulder to thigh, he turns towards the man and lays a quick kiss on the back of the hand covering his eyes.

He feels TK perk up, turning his entire upper body towards Carlos. 

"Can I open my eyes now?"

Carlos stares at his hand for a moment, straightening the paper again. "Yeah, okay, go ahead."

He looks as TK moves his hands, undoubtedly blinking the blurriness away, and then as he focuses on Carlos' hand.

"Are-are those?" he starts to ask, interrupting himself to run a palm across the paper wrapped around the bouquet.

"Uh, yeah," he stutters, rubbing the back of his neck.

"They're-it's beautiful!" TK exclaims, wrapping his hand around the stem of the bouquet, over Carlos', and angling it his way enough that he's able to stick his nose in it.

"Oh, God," he closes his eyes, a soft smile on his face. "It smells amazing!"

There's a preen of pride ruffling deep in Carlos' chest. He tries to conceal it the best he can, but judging by the smirk that TK throws him, he isn't doing a very good job at it. He clears his throat and hands the bouquet to TK, allowing him to turn it around and look at all of the different flowers.

"Red chrysanthemums, alstroemerias, primroses and stocks," TK mumbles underneath his breath, followed by a few words Carlos doesn't quite pick up on. He sits in his place, awaiting the final verdict.

He doesn't really know flowers, but he knows that TK loves them. So he's tried to do some research, and he has picked the flowers in the bouquet because they all mean love, in different variations. 

His biggest hope was to find a florist at the store, someone who actually knows the intricate details of what each plant means. Unfortunately, the only person available when he got there was a teenage register keeper. Which meant that he had to do with what he had Googled earlier in the day. 

While he is aware that he didn't do half as good of a job as an actual florist would have, he isn't sure that TK cares as much about that. He's still looking at the flowers with a fond gaze, holding a primrose petal - _he thinks_ it's primrose at least - between two of his fingers and caressing it lightly. The smile on his face only gets bigger, and _that_ is all Carlos cares about.

"How is it that even when I plan a surprise for you," TK whispers, his voice soft between them, "you still manage to surprise me?"

Carlos chuckles at that. 

"Great minds think alike?" he offers.

He receives a soft hum in response, and then TK lays his head on Carlos' shoulder, bringing them even closer together, something he didn't even think was possible.

A few moments later, TK takes a deep breath and lifts his head. He kisses Carlos, telling him he's going to get a vase for the flowers and then he's out of the fort.

Carlos stays inside, arranging a few pillows behind his back to get comfortable. He looks at the empty side next to him, and over the edge of the mattress where TK had pulled the box from earlier. He spots a couple of water and soda bottles, a few small bowls and a couple of larger ones. 

He can immediately tell that one of the larger ones is popcorn. One of the smaller ones has some type of candy - maybe skittles or M&Ms - and another bowl has marshmallows. He leans to the side to grab a few marshmallows, popping one in his mouth as he moves to completely lay down across the space, resting his head where TK's thighs were.

TK shows up at the opening of the fort right then, without the flowers in sight. He stops when he spots Carlos laying down, blinking a few times as Carlos stares back at him, a wide grin on his face. 

He opens his arm, eliciting a laugh out of TK as he gets it and tries to maneuver himself around to Carlos' back.

"Babe, no," he whines when he sees that TK isn't going to lay down in front of him. But he settles down once he realizes that TK is laying down behind him, snaking an arm between his waist and the ground. His other hand moves over their heads, grabbing the TV remote and pressing a few buttons till the screen in front of them turns on. TK drops the remote and connects both of his hands over Carlos' stomach.

Carlos tries to burrow deeper into the body behind him, wiggling until his entire back is in contact with TK's front. He overlaps his hands with TK's, holding onto the other man. 

This is his favourite way of unwinding. He likes to just sit and cuddle with TK on the couch, watching some lightweight comedy movie as they laugh and snack on whatever junk food they have on hand. They don't get to do it to this scale though. In fact, they've _never_ done it this way before. Certainly not to the extent of a full-blown blanket fort.

He takes a breath, letting the scents of the products he just used, mixed with TK's cologne and the smell of the food around them, lull him into peace. He can feel his mind start to calm down, and the thumping of his heart begin to slow down. 

He's starting to drift away, eyes closed, mind and body relaxed, when he hears the first few dialogues of the movie. He frowns, trying to pinpoint where he's heard the sentences, before his eyes snap open, and sure enough, he finds himself staring at Hiccup. 

"Wait," he murmurs, turning his head around to look at TK. "That's _How to Train Your Dragon_!"

"Yeah, that is true." 

Carlos can tell that TK is being sarcastic, but it still doesn't dampen his amazement.

"How did you know I like it?"

"You mean how did I know that it's your favourite comfort movie? Or that you absolutely love and adore it? Or that you cry every time you watch the third instalment?" TK asks, and Carlos' eyes widen with every question. 

He can feel the heat starting to build up in his face, but he ignores it, choosing to untangle their hands and turning around until he's face to face with TK.

"All of it," he replies. "How did you know about any of that?"

TK stares at him for a moment, a slight smirk on his face. He loves the man, his smirks and smiles included, even when they're directed at him. Even though he is extremely curious and genuinely waiting for an answer, he still can't help smiling back at him.

"You told me," TK whispers. "We were babysitting your nieces one day and we were watching this, cuddled up on their couch. I was half-asleep, so I'm sure you didn't think I'd hear you. But you were telling me about how it's your all-time favourite movie and why you love it so much."

Carlos blinks at TK, going back to the exact day he's talking about. He remembers it crystal clear, simply because it was the first time his three nieces met TK. They had been a little wary at first, before he showed them videos of himself on the firetruck, and then they were immediately enamoured, flicking behind him from one room to another, and demanding to sit next to him. At the end of the night, they had huddled up on the couch - Carlos and TK next to each other and, and his nieces spread out of top of them - as they watched _How To Train Your Dragon_. His nieces and TK were all out within fifteen minutes.

But Carlos had stayed awake. Holding Amalia over his shoulder, and playing his TK's hair with his other hand. He sat there, and for the next hour, he relayed everything that happened to a sleeping TK, going as far as telling him why he liked specific parts and why others hit him deep in his soul.

When the movie ended though, he woke TK up. Together, they moved all three kids to the guest bedroom, and then they went to theirs. And the movie was never spoken about again.

And so, to hear TK say that not only was he awake and actually heard every word, but he has also remembered even though it's been almost a year since the situation, Carlos can't help the tears that spring up to his eyes, again.

“ _I told you this ages ago_ ," he whispers, voice thick with emotions he isn't sure he can keep locked inside anymore.

TK seems to understand though. He brings a hand to his cheek, wiping at a few tears that have escaped, and then he leans forward, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of Carlos' nose.

"Yeah, you did. I figured if there's ever an occasion to put that piece of information to use, it'd be when you've been having an absolute hell of a week," he explains, continuing after a moment of silence. "And why stop there? Might as well combine with your other favourites: hugs and cuddles," he says as he pulls Carlos closer.

They stay in each other's arms for a moment longer, TK holding onto Carlos as he silently cries into the crook of his neck. Once his tears run out, he pulls back slightly, only to lean forward again and kiss TK, trying to pour every emotion of love and adoration and devotion into it.

When they finally pull back, it's to smiles and giggles. And as TK turns Carlos around again, holding him safe and secure around the waist and starting the movie, he can't help but wonder if they can have blanket fort comfort dates more often - make it a regular occurrence.

**Author's Note:**

> And it's over!
> 
> This event has been a blast! I'm so happy I got to be a part of this, to create and share with all the incredible people in this fandom!
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated.
> 
> Onto the next fic and the next event!


End file.
